Seyruun High Jinx Summer Special

The Slayers: Lina Zelgadiss Xelloss Gourry Amelia Val Filia Sylphiel

~*~ Seyruun Summer High Jinx Special! ~*~

(Note: Seishirou, Subaru, and Hokuto are all characters created by the writing team at CLAMP for the Tokyo Babylon and the X manga series. Jubei-Chan is a character from the Anime known as Jubei-Chan Legend of the Lovely Eye-Patch.)

Part Nineteen

By the time Lina and company roared up to the house in Val's Suburban, Zelgadiss and Xelloss had had time to fire up the grill, wrap up some baking potatoes, marinate steaks, and were currently in the process of chopping vegetables for a huge salad.

"Oh, wow!" Hokuto cried out. "I love these guys! Can I borrow them for our apartment?!"

"I think you'd have to marry me first," Xelloss said with a smile.

Lina had other thoughts and wasn't too shy to share them. "No can do. I still have need of both of you in the band, but, Hokuto…I'll keep you in mind when their better replacements come in."

"Better than me?!" Xelloss grinned. "I clean, protect, and dance. Try replacing all that!"

Zelgadiss stayed clear of the nonsensical blather by engaging Gourry in grilling the meat. Together, they operated the barbecue outside, leaving the others to sort out the tableware and drinks. What he wanted to do was to get that Subaru character alone and pump him for syndicate information, or at least see if he and his sister were as clueless as they wanted to seem. His turn, however, wouldn't come until late that night.

"Better get these off for the rare guys," Gourry said as he gripped a couple steaks with the long tongs and began a pile onto an awaiting platter. "Lina's one and I think Val is."

"I'll check," Zel said and dipped back into the house.

Amelia and Hokuto were putting the finishing touches on the silverware, Subaru was taking drink orders and Val and Lina were trading insults over who deserved the larger chairs—the most important (Lina) or the bulkiest (Val forgetting Gourry). Xelloss was lighting candles and giggling as Hokuto would either blow one out or pretend to tickle him.

"Rare steaks? Sit down. Mediums? I need a head count…got it. No well dones? Fine," Zel said. He completed his tasks briefly and with the least amount of fuss possible.

Lina was silenced by the arrival of food, and in a short time so was everyone else. One would have thought having eaten a huge lunch would have repressed their appetites somewhat, but no. Butter-slathered potatoes disappeared by the fork loads, while juicy steaks delivered sizzling hot to the table departed by way of applied knife action. When the salad bowl was wiped clean, the meal was declared over.

"No dessert?" Xelloss turned toward Zel for confirmation to the negative.

"Not my problem. Although, if you want it that bad, you could walk to the small ice cream vender about 500 yards up the road," Zel noted. "It's light out for a few more hours and I bet he sells to sundown."

A small contingent followed Xelloss in search of sweets, while another stayed to help wash up. Zel elected to feed Beast and dry dishes. Ignoring the evil premonitions, he was thoroughly enjoying this vacation. His friends were there with practically no strife between them to overload his tolerance for close companionship. His dog. Yes, his devoted dog. Zel silently thanked Xelloss for giving up his own claim to the animal. And cooking, what a pleasure that was for a change! He was free to cook, although more quantity than he preferred, but…you couldn't have everything, no? Even the new kids dumped on them were fine. If only he could settle the itch he couldn't scratch concerning their connection with the syndicate, then everything would be…well, perfect.

"You look relaxed," Gourry observed. He had washed the last of the dishes and now dried his hands on a damp towel as he watched Zel finish drying a stack of plates.

"Yeah. Best vacation that I can recall. Done! Want to go outside?"

"Sure. Grab that football by the door and I'll drum up whoever else it around, 'kay?"

Zel nodded, but paused to slather on more sunscreen first. He looked into the bathroom mirror, something he rarely did, and stared. Xelloss had been right! He was a bit sunburned, but the pronounced redness from the burn scars was negligible. Only the boundary lines between the burned areas and the clear were conspicuous at all. Xelloss alone had been the one to mention it to him. Was it that the others were afraid to point it out and rile him? Zel had to admit that he oversensitive at times about his appearance, but that was because…oh…how he hated to admit the truth to himself… But he remembered how other kids admired him before the accident. He was quite aware of the effect he had had on the girls even though he had had no interest in them. It had been such an ego trip at the time…fifth grade. Only…the one person he most admired back then treated him like he was just an ordinary kid-- although a remarkably brilliant and creative individual—and that was Lina. His popularity was lost on her, kinda.

Zel smiled when he remembered Lina once telling him that she would trade her notoriety for his glamour. Yeah, sure… Lina with all her charisma… It had simply been a passing thing at the time, and they both had known it for what it was, even at the time. Looks and being in the right group were so important back then. Now, Lina had it all and, Zel smiled, she knew it. And himself? Well, maybe he had more important things than knock-em-dead looks. He didn't know what, exactly, but he had friends and that had to be on that list at the top. Besides, he wasn't so freakish any more. Odd but not horrible. Part elf--thanks again to Xelloss and Lina for that one.

"Hey, Zel?" Gourry shouted from the outside door. "You comin'?"

"Uh…Yes!" Zel blushed and tossed the sunscreen onto the stand by the sink and flew out of the bathroom. He seized the football on the way out and yelled, "Run out for a pass!" before heaving the ball out of the house and into the air toward Gourry's outstretched arms.

Amelia bounded out of the other house, dressed in a bathing suit with shorts. She ran pass the boys and dashed into the water screaming with excitement. Val, who had been using the phone surreptitiously in her house wandered with languid movements to the water's edge and watched her cavort awhile before joining the ball-toss game.

Before long, the 'desserters' returned and clamored into their respective rooms to change for fun in the sun. Xelloss, out of shirts he judged clean enough, dug through Zel's bag and turned up a tank he was sure was stuffed in by mistake. He tried it on and checked his image in the bathroom mirror. Scars! He could make out where Gaav's bullet had pierced his shoulder and the jagged ends of others on his chest and back from Dubois. Funny, what scars had his real father left on him? Nothing visible…oh the hair and eyes, but he could live with those. Would the scars bother anyone? He shrugged and decided not. He wanted to tan his shoulders so this would have to do—friends wouldn't mind, would they? He wondered at the face staring back at him in the mirror. He'd be nineteen this year; would he ever need to shave, or would he be caught up in Never Never Land forever? Who was he anyway? Dark and secretive whose Syndicate machinations ensnared all his friends in covert activities? Loony drummer searching for a girlfriend? Brilliant, talented, emotionally messed up…'ex' this, 'ex' that…He stared, but the other face simply smiled back.

"Mr. X-Xelloss? Are you going to come out as well?"

Xelloss slipped on his glasses and opened the bathroom door, "Coming, Subaru!" Xelloss said, and the boy in the mirror did, too.

Subaru, completely inept at 'catch', was demoted to cheerleader, but his sister, after finishing her double cone (peppermint and lemon custard) was pretty good. She would dive for a difficult pass and could throw with a beautiful spin on the yam-shaped ball. Zel was better mostly because he could outrun anyone to catch the impossible tosses. Lina had decided to join Amelia for a cooling splash in the water. Val had a strong, straight throw, but his shoulder was stiff, limiting his abilities. Xelloss and Gourry were mismatched in size but oddly adept at the sport, such as it was played—Slayers-style.

"Take my super charged 'astral vine' pass!" Zel threw it like a homing missile bent on destruction.

"Yeah, well, that's nothing compared to my dark monster powers!" Xelloss caught it and threw it back in one fluid motion. Subaru clapped on the sidelines.

"Oh yeah, well, I've got the gods watching over MY passes!" Hokuto grinned and intercepted Gourry's intended catch, and, more impressively, jumped nimbly out of the way so avoid being crushed by him in his forward momentum. Her brother gave a sigh of relief when he saw her hop out of the way. She righted herself and instantly pealed off a toss in Zel's general direction, forcing him to scamper across hot sand to complete the pass.

"Ooh! The elf makes a nice catch!" Xelloss praised Zel.

"And a nice throw!" Gourry nodded, and caught the next one out of the air with his long arms and superior altitude.

Gourry sent the football soaring in a lazy spiral toward Val's strong arm, his healthier one. Val winced at the impact anyway, then threw it long and high. "If my ribs weren't still busted up, I'd drive this clean through that monster shielding ya got up to protect that thick skull of yers, Xelly-dude," he yelled then blinked back tears of pain. "Guess that's it fer me. I'll just watch from the sidelines."

"Yeah, well, fairies are better than elves, because they can fly!" Hokuto made an incredible jump for the next one. "Lina! Heads up!" Hokuto gave an unexpected throw out seaward.

Unfortunately, it didn't make it to its destination, because in between Hokuto and the shoreline was Subaru. Just turning around from watching the sea, he took the ball full-bore in the chest, which knocked him forcefully backwards.

"That one didn't," Val noted. Zel kicked him, filling in for Lina.

"Oh no! Subaru!" Hokuto cried, remorse and horror in her voice. She ran to his side.

It had knocked the wind out of him, and he lay in the sand struggling to regain it. Zel had to admit, if he was a spy, he was a pretty good actor. But then, Xelloss fainted at the sight of blood, and he… Maybe this boy had tricks up his sleeve, like Xelloss' little black belt in karate?

"I'm so sorry!" Hokuto said. "But you really should pay attention! I can't be looking out for you all the time, you know!" she admonished.

He nodded, and continued choking.

Well, if he was the best the Asian syndicate had to send, maybe they shouldn't get worried…

Lina and Amelia ran inside to shower off the sand and salt.

"Gettin' some sun, Xelloss?" Lina jabbed at his bare arm in passing.

"Yeah, if I'm having to dress like this for the band, I want to look a shade darker than drugged-out pale," he smiled.

"You look older, but the glasses do that, too," Amelia added, then scampered to catch up with Lina.

Zel stared harder at Xelloss now. Older than what? And that shirt, wasn't that his? "Where did that shirt come from?" Zel asked Xelloss, sending the football spiraling in range of his reach.

"I found it," Xelloss answered evasively and bagged the ball in a tricky over the shoulder catch. He spun around and sent the ball in a high spiral out to Gourry.

"In my bag, no doubt. It's all right. I just brought it along in case it was warm at night," Zel assured his friend.

"Thanks. I have run out of clean clothes."

"How's that possible?" Zel said exasperated again. "You brought more than I and I've lent clothes to Subaru! Ah…don't tell me that you've been wearing things once and then stuffing them in the dirty clothes bag?"

"Then I won't!" Xelloss grinned and ran out to intercept the ball heading for the water.

Zel saw his chance to best him, and so, ran full bore to the same intercept point. Xelloss had had a head start, but Zel was the faster runner, meaning…they collided with the ball and fell, rolling into the surf just as a wave burst over their heads.

Xelloss came up sputtering in the foam, bangs plastered over his glasses. He gained his feet before the next wave hit, wiping the hair out of his face, "Zelgadiss?"

Zelgadiss hadn't been so lucky. Xelloss' superior weight had knocked most of the air out of Zel's lungs as he was rammed face down into the water. As he managed to get up onto his hands and knees, gasping for his breath, the next wave blasted into his side. He churned over and over, losing all sense of up and down. Due to his extremely low fat-to-body-weight ratio, he was a poor swimmer and unable to float.

"Zel- GA-DISSS?" Xelloss shouted. Where was he? What was he wearing? Blue? Slivery hair? That all made him blend into the frothy salt water. "Zelgadiss!"

Hearing the shouting, Gourry keened in on the wave action. That's when he saw Zel struggling in deep water and belted straight out into the surf.

There, about twenty feet further out, Xelloss spied Zel's arm flailing about. Xelloss couldn't swim at all, but he couldn't let his best friend just drown! "Gourry! Do you see him?!"

"On it! Go ashore! " Gourry hollered as he charged past Xelloss. His long strokes and strong kicks fought the waves and brought him up alongside Zel. He flipped Zel over onto his back and with an arm around Zel's upper body, dragged him back to shore. Zel was coughing and shaking when Gourry lowered him onto the dry sand. So was Xelloss.

Gourry did a few cursory checks and found Zel shook up, but otherwise unhurt. Val was on the seen by then with an armload of towels, and draped one over Zel. "You all right, dude? You sure scared the shit out of us!"

Zel nodded, unable to speak still.

"Xelloss, you need this to warm up too," Gourry said, taking the other proffered towels from Val; one for himself and one to wrap up the frightened kid. "Lose yer glasses?"

"N-No," Xelloss cried into his towel. He was so upset, the tears couldn't be stopped.

Subaru and Hokuto reached the small huddle moments later. Hokuto wanted to know what she could do to help and Subaru took the delicate glasses out of Xelloss' death-like grip and started to clean them, carefully removing the sand particles without leaving the lenses scratched.

"That was an amazing rescue, Gourry!" Hokuto praised him.

"Uh, I got lifeguard training…this was the first year I didn't work at the pool and the first time I saved anyone." Gourry pushed a wad of his long bangs out of his eyes and looked back at the house. "Better go back and get these guys warm and dry."

~*~

The group gathered around the campfire that night was a little more subdued than usual. Xelloss huddled next to Zel, shooting him quick glances as if to reassure himself that his friend was really alive. Zel was strumming his guitar, leading the others in songs they knew, or mostly knew, the words to.

Clandestinely, Val was moving around whispering to Gourry, then Xelloss, then Zel.

"Hey," Val said. "I was thinkin' we could visit the, er, special beach t'night…"

Gourry took one look at the gathering fog, another at their guests, and shook his head meaningfully. Xelloss and Zel made very similar movements.

"Sorry, Val," Gourry apologized. "But it's just to, uh, cold and foggy and stuff."

"Yeah, cold and foggy! Wouldn't want to get lost!" Xelloss agreed.

"Indeed," said Zel, relieved to have a good excuse.

"Well, fine, sissies," Val huffed. "Guess I'll have to go by myself." He stalked off to a seat at the other end of the encampment, next to Amelia and Hokuto.

"What was that all about, Val?" Lina demanded.

"Nothin'" He proceeded to loudly join in with the black-haired girls' chorus of 'Lean on Me,' which was ridiculous enough to distract Lina from his duplicity with laughter.

Zel leaned into Xelloss slightly, "He's going to chicken out."

"You think so?" Xelloss whispered back. "He seems pretty determined to me. I really have had enough of the wave excitement to last me a lifetime. Should we think up an out for him to save face?"

"Yeah. He shouldn't go alone and it's not fair for Gourry to have to go along if he doesn't want to…and he will," Zel sighed. "I know…" He turned and got up on his knees to catch Val's attention. "Hey Val! There's a CD Lina brought for us to check out…one I haven't heard either. We should go in and see if it's worth it, for Lina…"

Val looked over at Zel thoughtfully for a minute. He understood why Zel and Xelloss probably didn't want to go into the water again, but he was still all psyched up to do it! Well, listening to music would be okay, too… "Yeah, if you insist…" he grumbled.

Xelloss winked at Zelgadiss as he stood up and shook off the sand on his pants. "Now who's getting to be the tricky bastard?" he chuckled softly.

Val laid claim to the CD's and CD player first upon entering the 'boys' abode. Everyone naturally squeezed on the floor or the few available chairs. Zelgadiss made it clear that his bed was out-of-bounds territory—not available seating space.

"So, which is the one Lina wanted us to hear? There was sumpthun I wanted ta hear agin, too…eh…oh… This one? It's not in English! Zel, you understand German, doncha?"

"Me, too!" piped Xelloss. "I got as far as Zelgadiss."

"Oh yeah? I thought it was you an' French…"

"That, too!" Xelloss said melting onto the floor beside Zel and Val.

"Yeah, well…listen to this song an' tell me what he's sayin'," Val urged them both.

Zelgadiss sat in rapt attention focussing on the words. After the loud heavy metal instrumental part broke out, he smiled and met Xelloss' eyes. "I approve," Zel said.

"It's cool, Val!" Xelloss smiled. "Who's the band?"

"A German heavy metal band called Rammstein. So…what's it sayin'?" Val asked.

"Give us a few minutes to go over it and we'll write out the words," Zel said. "But this part's good, it goes:

They come to you in the night…

Demons, ghosts, black fairies,

They creep out of the cellar shaft

And will look under your bed…

"The name of the song is 'My Heart Burns'," Zel finished and turned back to Xelloss. "It's pretty dark, but cool. So, you think Lina might let you sing it?"

Val grinned darkly, "Think you can play it?"

Xelloss shrugged, "I might need a back brace afterwards. That drummer's killing himself!"

Zel smiled, "I can try…it's…going to be a challenge. Hey Gourry! Listen to this a bit. Can you pick out the bass-line?"

Gourry ambled over and joined the male huddle. "Yeah, might need a better amp to do it, though. Ya think Lina'll want the band to do it?"

"If it can kill Xelloss, I'm sure she will," Val cackled at his own witty retort.

Xelloss made a face and whined, "Liiiinnnnnaaa! You don't want to kill me, do you?"

Lina stopped mid sentence. That was just too good to leave alone. "Xelloss, Xelloss, Xelloss…there are times that I've dreamed of nothin' short of mur…." And then she hesitated. Actually the Xelloss in her dreams was in absolutely no danger of being killed by her…and at that moment one of the rather 'cozier' images shoved its self to the forefront of her mind. "Ah…scratch that. Just shuddup and go back to your side of the room," she said a bit more harshly than necessary.

"O-kaaaay…" He swallowed and fell in a clump beside Gourry. "I guess death by drumming is appropriate. Val, you want to write down the words in that little book you've got in you pocket?"

"What?" Val started to deny his poetry book's existence, but decided that it wasn't worth it. "Oh, that, sure…nothin' important in it anyway…Okay, ready…My heart burns…"

"Ha! Sounds like the new after-Thanksgiving-dinner anthem," Xelloss laughed.

~*~

Zelgadiss sighed and turned over, pulling the top blanket up higher round his head. Without the traitorous dog (now taking up Subaru's sleeping space) he had more freedom of movement, even if he did feel slightly abandoned. Actually, this had been a pretty cool trip; all of the lemons thrown at them had been turned into a lemon chiffon cake with citrus sorbet—much better than lemonade. He'd even gotten used to his makeshift bed!

A sudden sound issued from the room where Xelloss and the guest were sleeping. Zel perked up and made himself ready to react.

"Ze-el-ga-diss!" Xelloss whined into the living room where Zelgadiss lay.

"What?" Zel groaned.

"He's got that dog in there. The whole room just reeks of foul dog!"

"Too bad." Zel turned over and listened, waiting for Xelloss to leave. He didn't. "Xelloss?"

"Yeeeessss….?"

"So, you going to watch me breathe all night?"

"Well, I'd rather go to bed."

"Don't let me stop you then."

Xelloss cleared his throat, "Do you think that you could trade beds…I'll sleep out here and you…with the …dog?"

Silence. Sigh.

"Go get your own pillow. You can't have mine." Zel groaned a little as he rolled over a few bruised ribs and scraped elbows on his way off the mattress and onto the floor. "The things I do for these people…"

"Thanks, Zelgadiss, I, ah…" Xelloss faltered. "I was really frightened today… in the water, you know? I thought for a second that I'd lost my very best friend, again—but this time for good! I don't know what would have happened if Gourry hadn't been there! I could see you, but I couldn't reach you! I wasn't prepared to just watch you die, but I almost did!"

Zelgadiss met his eyes for a moment, then looked away, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, if the roles had been switched, I couldn't have saved you either. So, that's just something else we have Gourry to thank for when we get back… Remember our surprise we have planned for his family? All right, think about that then and forget about the…close call…and, ah…good night, Xelloss." Boy, did those meaningful dialogues put him through the wringer!

"Night!"

Zel paused at the door. All his conversation with Xelloss came back to him. Wondering how to ask Subaru if he was a syndicate spy, Zel lowly, quietly opened the door and sneaked in like a thief. There he was, with the doggy lump that was Beast sleeping contentedly on the foot of his bed. Subaru Sumeragi…there was something…strange about him. He was very pretty—he really was identical to his sister, and she was no dog herself. That shy, effeminate face, his gentle and mild manners…unreal. Nobody really behaved like that—and no one as shy and retiring as he made himself out to be would dress so shamelessly!

Zel entered the room, closing the door soundlessly behind him, and crept through the threshold. That pale little face crowned with shiny black hair, two half-moon fringes of eyelashes lying like feathers on his cheeks—he was somewhere between eldritch and innocent. He had insinuated himself into their vacation so effortlessly. How much had he learned about them all in such a short time? Lots, especially about Xelloss. He was a danger to them all!

Subaru twitched in his sleep and one gloved hand opened, as if to reach out. In his sleep, he began to murmur softly. Zel froze and listened in with all of

his elven hearing."

"That… pers...n… under… cherry…tree… Wrong… Sei… shhhiro..s… wrong…"

Wrong about what? Seishirou was wrong about what? Was he involved in all of this, too? Somehow… he doubted it. He was odd, but not the way these two were. No, he must have been their unwitting stooge, fooled by their cute, helpless facades. Zel tip-toed closer to Subaru's bed, to better hear the words that would betray him—

"Hnnnnh?"

Zel fell back and gasped, but it was too late. Beast had noticed him, and was happily recognizing his master with a tail that beat the bed like a taiko drum as it wagged.

The boy stirred and awoke with a start. "H-huh? Z-Zelgadiss? What are you doing here? Where's Xelloss? Is he—is he all right?"

"Why are you so interested in him…in Xelloss?" Zel spat with a surprising intensity.

"Wh-what do you mean? He's okay, right?"

Zel's eyes were on fire. "Why can't you Syndicate slime just leave him alone? He's been through hell so many times, he might never be able to fully come back! What the hell do you want with him? What are you planning? Tell me, or so help me, I'll…"

Initially, Subaru had a mortally terrified expression, as if wondering whether Zel had cracked and was gearing up to take him out. But as Zel had ranted on, the look of terror relaxed, until by the end of the diatribe Subaru, looking calm and serene, reached out and touched Zel's arm. The gentle look on the boy's face jolted Zel out of his fury as much as the contact did. "Zelgadiss, I understand that you're very concerned for him. He's your best friend, after all. But…I'm not with…with any syndicate, Zelgadiss. I promise. I…don't know why you would think that, but…if I am so…evil, in your eyes…I am sorry."

Zel, shaken, stood back and closed his eyes, putting a hand to his brow. "No, no, I…" He what? "I'm…I'm sorry, Subaru. We're just so protective these days. After all that has happened…"

Subaru nodded. "I understand. You can't be too careful, after all you've been through. I'm glad to know that Xelloss has such good friends; he has been hurt terribly, and I…would be very unhappy if I thought that you all weren't taking care of him."

Zel blinked. "Subaru…"

"I'm sorry," Subaru gave him a small, shy smile. "I probably shouldn't have been so presumptuous. Is that why you suspected me of being…an evil one? Because I said some things like that?"

Zel looked a bit sheepish. "Well, sort of… Xelloss and I were talking, and…" he shook his head. It all seemed so silly, now. He couldn't get back that feeling of anger and suspicion. "I'm sorry. I…I'll just go to bed now. Good night, Beast," he patted his dog, which whined happily and then settled back down to sleep. "Um, sorry, Subaru. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Subaru said, lying back down and getting comfortable around the dog. "I forgive you, you know," he laughed lightly. "You were just being a good friend. Why…isn't Xelloss here?"

"Oh, he got fed up with the dog and wanted to switch sleeping places with me."

"He doesn't like dogs?"

"No, not really. He's too much of a neat freak."

"I understand," Subaru laughed. "Well, good night."

"Yeah, good night…"

~*~

Xelloss had settled into his pillow to listen to the scurrying of little mouse feet, the soft undertone of ocean waves breaking on the shore, and his own heartbeat. He wasn't sleepy. He rolled over onto his stomach, then back onto his left side…then his back…then as he was about to turn over again, he heard a scuffling of feet, more than two pairs outside.

He tensed and listened for more clues as to the identity and purpose of the intruders. They were at the door! Not more than twenty feet from his mattress! He looked around for a potential weapon. Spotting the fireplace poker, he scrambled out of his bed, grabbed it, then crouched at the ready as the doorknob turned. One, two, three…

"Shhhhh!" Lina whispered. "Stop pushing!"

Xelloss relaxed. What was Lina up to anyway? He decided to play along and see if he could have some fun of his own. He rested the poker alongside his bed and quickly slid back under the sheets, flopped onto his stomach, and hid his head with his blanket. He calmed his pounding heart and waited.

"I-I'm sorry, Miss Lina, but the battery's all dead I couldn't see you!"

That must have been Amelia.

"Yeah, well…now I gotta take a shower. I don't know what kinda crap I fell into back there…So, once we go in…Hokuto, you can use the bathroom first then take up your post guarding the room close by…"

That was certainly 'Miss Lina'.

"I'll wait till she's out, then take my turn…" Amelia whispered.

"Right, then…station yourself in here to make sure Zel doesn't get any ideas…Val and Gourry can sleep through a bomb blast. Okay…lets go…"

Xelloss smiled. Did the girls really think they were being quiet? Had he been Zel and asleep, all their chatter would have awakened him instantly. Well, now, this has lots of potential!

He lay immobile; for all intents and purposes he was soundly sleeping. The girls moved quietly though the house until he was sure that they had settled into their 'lookout positions', Xelloss decided it was time for him to act. Amelia was seated nearby on the floor. He turned and moaned a little. Not a bad imitation of Zelly-bob, he thought.

"Oh, poor Zelgadiss. I hope you aren't having bad dreams," she sighed affectionately.

"Amelia…" Xelloss whispered.

Amelia straightened. "Did he hear me? Does he know I'm here?"

"Amelia…I…wish…dfhjfhjdfhsss"

This time she moved closer to 'Zel's' pillow in order to hear him better.

"Oh, Amelia…"

"Zelgadiss?" she whispered in a tiny voice. "Do you dream about me?"

Xelloss whispered more softly and she moved in very close. When he judged she was as near to him as she'd ever get, he pounced on her, covering her mouth with one hand and holding down her other arm over her head with his other hand and her legs with his body.

Even in the near darkness, she could see the glitter of amusement in his eyes, and he could make out her returned look of shock.

"Shhhh, Miss Amelia. Don't scream and I'll get off, okay?"

She frowned and tried to bite his hand, but he avoided her teeth and shook his head slowly back and forth, "Bad…girl…"

She sighed. He was much heavier and better at all this than her, she conceded in a gesture of surrender.

"That's better. Now, Lina's in the shower, right? Okay, I KNOW she is, did she bring a towel? No? There aren't any in the bathroom besides the hand towel. Did you know that?"

Amelia's eyes widened and she shook her head, "No." She hadn't noticed.

"Then…I'll take her mine," he smiled. "No, you stay here and be quiet."

"B-but Mr. Xelloss!"

"I'm not going to do anything…terrible. Just a little joke. I mean, imagine how I felt lying in wait for some terrorists to barge in and kill me? Luckily, it was just you girls. Now it's my turn. Oh, no you aren't going to go warn Lina. Do I need to remind you of what I story I could tell your Mr. Zelgadiss?"

She frowned, "Nothing happened…"

He grinned evilly, "I said 'story'…"

"You wouldn't make up a lie, would you?! That's so unjust!"

"Shhh!" he sighed. "Come on…just give me a minute to surprise her then you can claim anything you want…or I could lock you outside in the dark…"

"Okay…just a minute though…and only because I know you don't mean any harm…"

"That's right!" he smiled and kissed her on the nose. He hopped up grabbed a towel off the top of the pile near his bed and traipsed out of the room to the bathroom door. The water was still running. The door had no lock, so he simply let himself in noiselessly.

Lina was completely aware of her precarious position, showering without permission late at night in the boy's house without a decent lock on the door…Grrr… But that's what her two friends were there for, right? To keep an eye out for intruders, sleepwalkers, or whatevers…Blast the plumbing at their own place! Couldn't take a little Inverse hair in the drain?! What was with those pipes, anyway? Who installed water pipes the size of drinking straws in a beach rental?! Oh…oh…that was a rush of cold air… She knew then that she was not alone in that room.

"Who's there? Is that you Amelia?" Lina asked in a raspy voice barely discernable over the shower water.

"Lina?" Xelloss asked in an oh-so-innocent voice. "What are you doing in my bathroom at…2:00 in the morning?"

"Xelloss…" she gasped. Yes, the shower curtain was opaque. "None of your business. Now get out of here!"

"Really now, Lina-dear, I do have a reason to be here and I make it my business to know why I'm sharing my space so...intimately…Oh, and turn down the water and don't yell. You wouldn't want to wake the…dead…and have everyone running in to find us…"

She wrenched faucet hard, diminishing the flow of water to a mere trickle. "Our plumbing isn't working and…we came to use the facilities and the flashlight busted and I fell in some crap and now I'm getting clean and you are getting out, Buster, before I start screaming and hope to hell I do raise the dead!"

"Oh…well…I do need to use the bathroom, but I suppose MY needs can wait…"

"You bet they can…that or just go find a bush outside!" she snarled. She was starting to get chilled.

"Euwww! Lina… I stopped doing that about the time I discovered…"

"Xelloss!" she interrupted. "Go!"

"Of course," he said smiling and left the bathroom quietly, shutting the door behind him.

He waited outside the door. Amelia popped up at his elbow, "You didn't give her the towel?"

"Oh," he smiled. "I guess I forgot. Should I go back in and…oops! Too late, water's off and she's getting out."

"Oh for gods'sakes…" Lina's hushed groans could be heard outside the door.

Xelloss pushed Amelia out of the way down the hall, a finger to his lips indicating that she should keep quiet. He returned to the bathroom door. "Lina?"

Silence.

"Might you be needing a towel?"

Pause, then "Yes."

"Hold on, I'm opening the door..." he warned her. Xelloss gave her a few seconds to hide back behind the shower curtain, then slipped inside. "Where would you like me to put this? Oh, Lina…that wasn't a very nice thing to say… And here I am trying to help you out!"

He giggled and hung the towel up onto the only available hook. "I'll just leave it here and go, okay?"

"Ah…sure…thanks…" she grumbled back.

"Oh, just a minute…"

"What!" she gritted her teeth. "Xelloss, so help me if you don't get your ass out of here this very second I'm gonna blow!"

"Well, if you insist…" he smiled. He heard a loud thump and a crash from someplace down the hall.

Outside the door to the bathroom, a small group began gathering to see what was causing all the disturbance to their quiet slumbers. Hokuto had strong-armed her brother to the floor and was attempting to trip Zelgadiss—not knowing how agile he was even when half asleep—to keep him inside his room.

"WaoooH…oooahoooooo," howled Beast.

Gourry heard that and leapt from his bed, ramming his foot into the leg of Val's bed good and hard. "Argh! Shit!"

Val was awake.

"Hokuto!" Zel shouted in an irritated way, ignoring the prone Subaru. "Get out of my way!"

"WaoooH…oooahoooooo," howled Beast.

"What the hell…" growled Val catching a glimpse of Gourry's long hair flouncing out the door as the tall kid hopped on one foot to Zel's room.

Lina snarled. "GET OUT NOW! What part of that don't you get?!"

"It's just that…" he started to explain. At this point, he could hear the other kids getting up and he knew that he was in the wrong place at the absolutely wrong time. He also knew that Lina would be very embarrassed if everyone found out about this…misadventure. This was not turning out to be quite the smooth practical joke he'd imagined at the outset, but then, when did it ever work out well for him in the end?

Zelgadiss had heard Lina's voice clearly. "It's Lina?! Someone's trapped her in the bathroom!" he explained as best he could to Gourry. "Amelia? What are you doing here, too?"

Amelia looked as if she would either burst into tears or laughter, so she just started to hiccup.

Lina reached out from behind the curtain with her skinny, freckled arm, grabbed the towel and wrapped herself up into a tight terry-cloth tube. "Oh Xel-loss…"she said in a low voice.

"Hmm?" Xelloss grunted interestedly, as he stepped closer to the shower stall.

She rotated the showerhead to point outwards, snapped open the shower curtain, and turned on the water full force.

"Aaaach!" he gasped as ice cold water sprayed over his bare chest and shorts, drenching him to the bone. "Liii-naaa!"

"Ah, that sounded like Xelloss," Gourry said over everyone's head to Zelgadiss, standing nearest the door.

That did it for Zel. He kicked in the bathroom door shouting, "Lina!"

Two dripping wet kids blinked at the sudden light streaming in from the overhead hall light. Gourry and Zel stood in front of the pack, with Amelia just behind Zel and Val looking over her shoulder blinking back.

"Oh, I was… ah… going to the bathroom," Xelloss began sheepishly. He wiped his bangs to one side and reached for the hand towel. "When I discovered Lina, um…and got her a towel."

Zelgadiss snorted in disgust, "I'm going back to bed. I don't care how you sort this out."

Gourry looked at Xelloss then back to Lina, confused and unsure what to make of their shenanigans. Well, he was certain he didn't like it and that Xelloss had no business being in the bathroom at the same time that Lina was showering, however…what was Lina doing over there, showering at two AM?

He shook his head and rubbed at his sore toe, swollen and throbbing. "I dunno, guys but if yer both done in there, I could use a turn…" Then, not too gently he shoved Xelloss out and suggested to Lina, "Ya wanna get dressed in our room in back?"

"Yeah…thanks," she muttered and stomped out of the bathroom with her dirty clothes tucked under one arm and the other holding the towel tightly.

Nothing more was said that night.

~*~

The next morning they were all on their own to make toast or pour cereal for themselves. One by one, the kids flopped at the table and scanned it for eatables. The conversation was minimal until enough of them were awake and able to speak in complete sentences.

"So, why the f*^k were you takin' showers and wakin' the rest of us up?!" Val cursed as he spilled hot coffee over his hand.

Lina, in an equally foul mood, kicked him hard under the table. "You wanna smell my clothes and figure it out for yerself?"

Amelia said calmly, "I think what Mr. Val was asking, was why were we over in the first place."

"Fer starters…"

"The stinking plumbing's plugged up at out place and nothing works in the bathroom so we waited until we were sure you guys were all asleep and hoped that the door wasn't locked and figured: 'Hey! Let's plug up their pipes too!" Lina snarled.

"The bathroom's really pathetic over there guys…really," Hokuto added. "Then Amelia's flashlight chose an inopportune time to wink out on the way over and Lina unfortunately tripped and feel into…something awful so…"

"And that's why I didn't have a towel," Lina mumbled with her mouth full of toast.

Gourry looked particularly peaked, as if he'd had a poor as well as short night's sleep. "So, um…why were you and Xelloss in the shower…both of ya?"

Lina choked and coughed on some crumbs. Gasping for breath, she managed to spit out, "Is that what you think? You thought I was taking a shower with… with… WHAT are you laughing about, Xelloss!" She shouted that last sentence like an enchanted spell intended to kill its intended victim. "You guys have got sick, sick minds…"

Xelloss stifled his giggling with difficulty. "I brought her a towel and… she sprayed me with water. That was it! Honest! Right, Amelia?"

"Sometimes some of you act just like children, not like the grown up adults you portend to be," Amelia declared.

"Don'tcha mean 'pretend'?" Gourry asked.

"No, I thinks she's trying to cleverly point out that some of us will grow up while some of us only hint at it," Xelloss smirked her way, again twisting her meaning. "From the mouths of children…" he paused to take a bite of toast.

Hokuto turned her head slightly toward Lina and asked in a louder voice than necessary, "So, do you ever think about having children?"

Xelloss was in her direct line of sight. He swallowed his bite of toast and smiled. "However do you mean?" he returned in a tone of voice that hinted of all kinds of hidden meanings and with a wink that implied more.

"She was asking me!" Lina snapped at Xelloss to silence his further input. "You'd better put that another way, what with the perverted male mentality at work at the table here."

"Ohohohoho! I meant having a family of your own someday," Hokuto corrected.

"No, er…I mean not for ages. I have enough trouble dealing with my friends and keeping them in line. As for babies…One day at the Ul Copts with the little wet-at-every-orifice Quentin satisfies my curiosity." She slathered the next slice of toast with butter then asked, "Why?"

"Oh, nothing really. It was just something Amelia said to me the other evening that got me thinking about the future."

A few pairs of eyes shot over to rest upon Amelia. "So, what did you say?" Lina asked.

Oh. Amelia did not want to discuss that now, in front of the others not after all the embarrassment of the night before. "Say? Oh, I don't recall. Would you pass me the milk, please, Mr. Val?"

"Sure you do! You know, the stuff about that friend of yours who is getting married," Hokuto clarified for everyone. "And I said I bet she's the type that wants a lot of kids, being White Shrine and all… Then you said you didn't know what the shrine had to do about it and then I said that the shrine I went to…you know… near Atlas City, the one that got blown up last year. Well, they encourage the girls to get married and start families while they're young. 'It's their best contribution to the community' the priest there said." Hokuto stopped to drink her juice.

Lina appeared a bit ill. Gourry kept one eye on Lina and the other on the stack of toast disappearing just out of his reach. Val was ignoring everyone. He wanted to get on the road. That, and stop at the clan settlement for a little visit. Subaru was trying to eat but was having a difficult time swallowing. He could tell that this topic of conversation was going nowhere good. Zel was sipping his tea and pretending that he was somewhere else. Amelia wished that she was somewhere else, too.

Xelloss was about to start laughing. "Well, that's certainly a tradition in our family, right Zelgadiss?"

Zelgadiss closed his eyes and sank further down into his seat. Someplace far away…

Xelloss continued alone. He hadn't expected Zel to say anything. "But as a priest in the Seyruun shrine, I've never heard anything to encourage it officially. Personally, I think once you have children you are responsible for making their lives as good as possible, and most of the people I know are busy working out the basics of their own lives. Children are terrific though!" he added enthusiastically. "Especially wrigglly little babies," he added smugly to Lina. "They smell so…indescribably cool and I want one."

"Don't look at me, Buster!" Lina warned him with a sharp kick to the shins.

Undaunted, Xelloss took a different tack, "Remember that contest we had going last year…Zelgadiss?"

Zel choked on his tea, slopping it out onto the table and nearly soaking his pants. "Xelloss! There was no contest! That was…something you had going on in your twisted little brain. Now, I'm volunteering to wash dishes." He stood and briskly carried his things to the sink.

"Contest?" Lina asked. "What kind of contest, Xelloss?"

"Well, it hardly matters any more," Xelloss smiled mischievously in Zel's direction, "…since I won…"

"NO YOU DIDN'T!" Zel's voice echoed from the sink.

Xelloss smiled.

"So there WAS a contest?" Gourry asked.

"Yes, you see Zel and I had just learned our family history-- shared relations and all—and we were joking around with his father and my mother and ah…" he checked to see if Zel was going to interrupt him or leave the house. Zel was listening, he decided. "I said something to the effect of 'we should keep in our family tradition and find ourselves a couple of cute young - emphasis on young- girls to'…marry, I guess. So we were joking about having a contest to see who could, ah…succeed…"

"Score, he means," chuckled Val in a comment meant for Gourry but overheard by Lina and Amelia.

"And you won?" Lina asked. She wasn't smiling at Xelloss.

Zel pounded into the room, "No he didn't! No one did. It was a verbal jousting match. A miserable joke that didn't need to be brought up again."

"Oh? I thought you said that you won, after you…" Xelloss flicked his purple gaze over Amelia's face, then smiled. "Well…anywaaay… then I caught up, then you moved ahead, then…I think I moved further…"

Realization washed over Amelia. She turned first to Xelloss then, eyes brimming with humiliation, looked up at Zelgadiss. "You were leading Kiki and me on…for a stupid contest?!"

"No!" Zelgadiss burst out. "Nothing like that! It had been a joke. Stupid and all but just between us to help us deal with the whole weird family situation at the time. There was no 'leading' anyone on…going on."

All right… Amelia's asked cautiously, "Then you did really like me back then? It wasn't just to win some bet that you …kissed me and all?"

Zel had been had. One look at the complacent expression on Xelloss' face and he knew that he'd just walked into a trap. A trap set, baited, and about to ensnare him in Xelloss' evil little contrivance. How to turn things around?

"'And all'? Hey, this gets better all the time!" Val laughed now.

"Shuddup, idiot!" Lina snarled. "Zel, you had better answer smart now. I just hope you aren't the slimy little bastard I'm picturing pounding to a pulp. Then again, I could use a little exercise and either you or the fruitcake will do."

Xelloss frowned and started to complain at her choice of nicknames, when Zelgadiss made his move. He had been wringing the kitchen towel between both his hands, but now he switched it over to his left hand as he approached Amelia. He placed his free hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"After all we've been through together I shouldn't have to answer that," Zel said. Then he smiled slightly, "Besides, I'm not that good an actor." And with that smooth admission, Zelgadiss leaned over and picked up her empty plate, "You're done with this? Any other dishes I can take while I'm here?"

Subaru smiled inwardly at the clever sparring in which these guys engaged one another, "I-I'm done as well, but I'll take my own things and help dry!"

His sister pushed hers to him and added, "You do that! I'm calling Seishirou to make sure he's on his way. What time are you supposed to be outta here?"

"11:00 is checkout time, so we have half an hour to pick up and pack up before the cleaning crew arrives," Xelloss answered. "I'll scan the rooms here for forgotten stuff…"

"And I'll check our place!" Amelia finished cheerfully. She was all smiles now that Zelgadiss had shown everyone that he really did care for her! Ah, well, kinda…maybe that's what he'd meant…it was hard to tell…

Lina sidled up to Zelgadiss. "Eh…pretty sensitive of you, Zel. Someone might be thinking that you've suddenly gone soft."

"That," he turned and said with a smirk, "…or I don't fancy being thrashed to pulp."

"Humph. I think you're gettin' more malleable or…manageable…yeah, I like that. Easier to handle…" Lina cooed and stalked off to check on Val's progress outside loading his car.

"She does like to be in control, d-doesn't she?" Subaru noted to Zelgadiss.

"Oh, yes, but sometimes we all have to assert ourselves. However, for me…it was not today. We have a long day ahead of us in very close quarters. So, I give a little now to gain hours of solitude later."

"You mean Miss Lina will leave you alone now?"

"She and Xelloss and Amelia…I will be untouchable after having made it through that unscathed relatively."

"Y-you mean…you don't really like Miss Amelia?"

"Oh, I like her fine. I like all these freaks. They're my friends, but I'm not going to let them ambush me with some tricky word games into embarrassing myself. It's a new skill I've just learned to pull off," Zel smiled. "This is going to be a good year. I can tell."

Hokuto yelled, "Subaru! I can see his white van!"

"Oh!" Subaru dropped his towel. "Already? I-I am going to miss…all this tomorrow, I know. Thank you, Zelgadiss for becoming such a good friend to me!"

"Sure…And we'll see each other to pick up our schedules in a few weeks, right?" Zel said to the boy rushing out the door.

He watched the van pull up, and the tall, dark-aired man step out. Hokuto's little figure ran up and nearly jumped on him, while Subaru stood back, tentatively. He watch Seishirou pull himself away from the girl and come towards her brother, put an arm around his shoulders, and lead him back to the van, with Hokuto hanging on his other arm like a fungus. He remembered what Hokuto had said, about Subaru's unrequited…whatever it was. Yes, he could see that. He dreamed about him, after all. What had he said about cherry trees…and that Seishirou was wrong'? Oh, well. He shook his head to clear it. Those poor, demented kids and their strange ferryman—er, friend… What a soap opera they were! Almost as bad as his family, Zel chuckled.

Yes, his family… the Slayers… et al…

~*~ End, Seyruun Summer High Jinx Special, Part Nineteen. ~*~